Any fan of the summer (or global warming) will immediately latch on to Dalton. This is the scrappy, thrown together energy of Brooklyn’s native son Nate Harar. A man with a deep, abiding belief in the power of the sun to work out whatever kinks are found in his guitar jams. ‘Breaker’ might not blast off, but it floats along on a breeze knowing it’ll get to its destination in due time. We are looking forward to a full release, but if the two tracks up on his Bandcamp are an indication of things to come… we can’t wait to play in this warm-weather sandbox – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Welcome to the always troublesome world of Cultfever. The Brooklyn-based duo made up from equal parts haunting vocals, (provided by singer/howler Tamara Jafar) and the warped groove sculptures of Joe Durniak. Though I’m not entirely sure what the endgame is, this is a group that clearly seems to be on a mission. From iPhone videos (‘knewyouwell’) to their rampaging self-titled debut, the band attacks with an emotional blast in tracks like my favorite ‘Collector.’ They won’t be gentle with you, but that’s probably not what you wanted from a band anyway. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Whenever I think of The Henry Millers, the ultra-literate quartet from Brooklyn, I always think of my parent’s music and how every band sorta looked like a family back in the ’60s. While not related to one another, singers John MacCallum and Katie Schecter certainly convey a kind of sibling understanding in their discussions of exes (‘Mr. Flash Gordon’) and love (‘Spinning Daises’).

Their kind of folksy wisdom isn’t out of step with memories of listening to The Mamas and The Papas for latest LP ‘Daises’. The record’s charm just might bring you into their family too. See the band live when they play at The Studio at Webster Hall on April 1st. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

This is the category gathering NYC based bands who play roots music in all its traditional glory. Or at least that’s what we intended it to be – a couple of bands in the list (namely, Sewing Machines and The Balboans) obviously mis-categorized themselves when submitting for this poll…

Total Submissions in this category: 23

Artists Qualified to the Poll’s Next Stage (starting soon):

1. Swear and Shake – 8.16 (out of 10)
2. The Ludlow Thieves – 7.66
3. The Courtesy Tier – 7.5

Honorable Mentions (score above 7):

Sewing Machines, The Balboans, Ten Ton Man, Runaway Dorothy, Zak Smith, Mail the Horse, Alana Amram & the Rough Gems, Kayleigh Goldsworthy, David King + The Confirmed Bachelors, Elijah Ocean, This Old Ghost, Thomas Bryan Eaton.

Jurors: Ben Toledo (Deli Portland), Jacqueline Caruso (Deli LA), QD Tran (Deli Philly)

The Deli’ Staff

For a folk band, Swear and Shake are distinctly uninterested in discussing far off lands and forgotten frontiers. In her lyrics, girl-next-door/singer Kari Spieler would rather bring up her weed habits (‘These White Walls’) or tough choices concerning playing marbles (‘Marbles’ – streaming).You’ll feel like you already know the group after listening through a couple of these charming acoustic tunes. See the band live when they play Irving Plaza on Jan 16. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

For the lower east side’s The Ludlow Thieves, life is a continuing anthem, filled with moments larger than they may seem, only your lens needs shifting. Projecting an exuberance that harkens back to hair metal’s declarations of passion and love, The Ludlow Thieves do it all with mandolins and acoustic energy instead. Songs like ‘Sing Me Back’ (streaming) might very well harken a new national anthem with all their love for their hometown New York and all the circles of friends they’re surrounded by. Check the band out when they play Arlene’s Grocery on Jan 16. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Courtesy Tier talks a lot about resolution, but I’m not buying it. After powering their way through burners like ‘Rescue’ and ‘Alright Mama,’ I don’t’ feel like much has been settled… but I definitely feel relieved.

The Brooklyn duo of Layton and Omar struggle with issues of frustrations galore in otherwise barren electric textures that bring to mind Seattle groups like Modest Mouse and Mudhoney. Not bad company when it comes to working out life’s pains. For more therapy on the cheap, listen to the band’s latest, ‘Something Better,’ streaming below. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

Brooklyn four piece The Men are ringing in 2013 with some shiny new music. "Electric," the first single from upcoming full-length "New Moon will be released on vinyl on January 22nd. Until then, you can give it a listen below. The Men’s guitar-focused garage punk is heavy on the feedback, calling to mind bands of decades past. This vintage feel is further boosted by gritty vocals and choruses with enough of a classic rock boost to make them catchy, nearly melodic. About a year ago, The Men abandoned their urban digs to head to the Catskills to record New Moon where they ventured into piano, mandolin, and harmonica territory. Its March 5th release will mark The Men’s third album via Sacred Bones … and their first with bassist Ben Greenberg in the mix. The Men will be kicking off a international tour shortly thereafter; you can catch them playing the Bowery Ballroom on 3/07 – Corinne Bagish

The results are in from the Open Submissions stage for our New England Year End Poll for Emerging Artists. All of the submissions were ranked by Deli Editors from other scenes and the list of acts that have advanced to our Readers’/Fans’ Poll phase are below. We will also be releasing the list of nominees chosen by our local "scene expert" jurors very soon. 

Ghost Box Orchestra strips down to traditional psych rock, while building up from their foundation a technical structure of noisy rock. Their music frequently grows in seemingly chaotic sounds before breaking down in a steady beat and groovy melody. Ghost Box Orchestra top our Boston open submission with two other bands, and will be playing Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub Saturday, January 26th.

Bella’s Bartok is a strange mix of a band, and with their absurdity lies their charm. Varied percussion, bright pianos, scratchy guitars, scattered horn sections, and group harmonies give their dancy tunes a distinct bohemian vibe, and their raw sound gives them something of a punk edge.  Bella’s Bartok topped our New England open submission with two other bands. –Lucy Sherman

Folk pop duo You Won’t apply old school folk vocally driven melodies and harmonies with new diverse instrumental tactics. Bass heavy rhythmic drums, various percussion, and mixing clear acoustics and noisy electricity make for a unique blend of sounds for this genre. You Won’t topped our New England open submission with two other bands. -Lucy Sherman